Objective To discuss the characteristics and association of alexithymia and empathy deficit in college students with Internet addiction disorder (IAD), and to provide a basis for psychological intervention of IAD.Methods A total of 98 IAD students and 104 healthy controls were enrolled according to Internet Addiction Test (IAT) scores of the participants, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20-C) and Interpersonal Reactivity Index-C (IRI-C) were used to evaluate the alexithymia and empathy deficit.Results Compared with controls, IAD students had significantly higher total score of TAS-20-C and scores on F1 and F3 factors (P<0.01), and significantly lower IRI-C scores for fantasy and empathy concern (P<0.01). There was a significant association between alexithymia and empathy deficit.Conclusions A significant association is found between alexithymia and empathy deficit, both of which exist in IAD students.